Friday, December 11, 2015

From Victoria Scott, author of FIRE & FLOOD, comes a thrilling story of impossible odds. Ever since the Titans first appeared in her Detroit neighborhood, Astrid Sullivan’s world has revolved around the mechanical horses. She and her best friend have spent countless hours watching them and their jockeys practice on the track. It’s not just the thrill of the race. It’s the engineering of the horses and the way they’re programmed to seem so lifelike. The Titans are everything that fascinates Astrid, and nothing she’ll ever touch. She hates them a little, too. Her dad lost everything betting on the Titans. And the races are a reminder of the gap between the rich jockeys who can afford the expensive machines to ride, and the working class friends and neighbors of Astrid’s who wager on them. But when Astrid’s offered a chance to enter an early model Titan in this year’s derby, well, she decides to risk it all. Because for a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, it’s more than a chance at fame or money. Betting on herself is the only way she can see to hang on to everyone in the world she cares about.

"The Titan Enquirer isa gossip paper featured in Titans. The paper is printed year round in Detroit, but the news, and gossip, really heats up during the Titans racing season (June - August). This article is from this year's races (not the year Astrid competes), and talks about a jockey being injured on the tracks--something that happens frequently, unfortunately."